J Boats: For Those Who Delight In Sailing

The story of J/Boats is a classic entrepreneurial tale: With a $20,000 investment, and a speedy 24-foot sailboat that Rod Johnstone built in his garage, Rod & his brother Bob Johnstone went into business. That was 1977. Now, that boat (the J/24), has become the most popular recreational offshore keelboat in the world. The Johnstone family has made an undeniable mark on the sailing world. In addition to the 5,400 J/24s cruising the waves, there are over 7,000 more J/Boats, ranging from the International J/22 to the J/65, that sailing enthusiasts have bought at prices ranging from $10,000 to $2,000,000.

While other manufacturers may sell more boats, the Johnstones have won the high-end, performance-oriented segment of the market. Theirs is the so-called racer/cruiser category: boats that perform well on the race course but which are comfortable and easy enough for the family to day-sail and cruise. It is with knowledgeable, experienced sailors that the Johnstones have done best.

J 24, The World’s Most Popular One-Design Keelboat: J/24 is for Everyone, Anytime, Everywhere…Age 12 to 80, no matter what your style: racing, daysailing or cruising. Her flared topsides make her dry on deck. Her “weekender” cabin makes it possible to get warm on cold days and she can be sailed easily by one person with only the mainsail. While some of the world’s best sailors have the latest version J/24, a well-prepared 1977 model, built to the same shape and weight with rigid end-grained balsa core construction can still win the class world championship even after 30,000+ miles of trailering. That’s “One Design”.

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J 70, The New Ramp-launchable Keelboat: After a successful launch and rave reviews the J/70 production is underway and the first boats are already sailing around Europe (United Kingdom & France). This new ramp-launchable keelboat (a first for J/Boats) promises a new dimension of fun, fast sailing in a stable, easy to own boat that all of your friends and family can enjoy. J/70’s 22-foot long waterline with high aspect rig with all carbon mast and boom provides spirited performance and stability that feels like a much larger boat upwind. Off-the-wind, J/70 will simply light-up the crew with a smile! Set the masthead A-sail and plane away in moderate breezes.

J/111 The One-design Speedster: 2012 marks the first full season of J/111 one-design sailing around the world. With numerous events organized in Europe (France and England) and in the USA (East Coast, Great Lakes, Pacific Coast), J/111 sailors will enjoy the camaraderie of sailing close, tactical racing around-the-buoys and in major offshore events. In some instances, 111s will have the opportunity to win silverware in both one-design as well as handicap classes- proving this 36 foot speedster permits you to have “your cake and eat it too”– unique amongst modern offshore sailboats. J/111’s have established a remarkable sailing record offshore in the past twelve months. Learn more about this extremely versatile, easy-to-sail, offshore racer-cruiser and, more importantly, join in on the fun and set your sights on one-design racing in the world’s greatest sailing areas- Cowes, Newport, SPI Ouest, San Francisco, Great Lakes, Harbor Springs, to name a few.